1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to input and output configurations for three-dimensional volumetric displays and, more particularly, to input configurations that allow the content of a three-dimensional volumetric display output configuration to be affected by actions by a user operating within an input configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
A class of three-dimensional (3D) displays, called volumetric displays, is currently undergoing rapid advancement. The types of displays in this class include holographic displays, swept volume displays and static volume displays. Volumetric displays allow for three-dimensional (3D) graphical scenes to be displayed within a true 3D volume. Such displays can take many shapes including cylinders, globes, domes, cubes, an arbitrary shape, etc. with a dome being a typical shape. Because the technology of these displays is undergoing rapid development those of skill in the art are concentrating on the engineering of the display itself. As a result, the man-machine interface to or input/output configurations with which people interface with these types of displays is receiving scant attention.
While the volumetric displays allow a user to view different parts of a true 3D scene, the act of viewing the different parts typically requires that the user physically move around (or over) the display or that the display be moved or rotated in front of the user. As the display moves relative to the user, graphical objects may also move relative to the user. When the display is relatively stationary or when it is relatively moving, the user may need to interact with the display. As a result, what the user needs is an effective mechanism for interacting with the display.